Softball Sweeps Barton, 2-1 And 5-2

Carrie Markham Earned The Win In Both Games

The Belmont Abbey softball team wrapped up its CVAC schedule with a sweep of visiting Barton, gaining a 2-1 win in the opener and a 5-2 triumph in the nightcap. The Abbey improves to 12-35 overall and finishes the CVAC season with a 9-11 record, while the Bulldogs fall to 17-26 overall and 5-13 in the CVC.

Crusaders sophomore pitcher Carrie Markham earned the win in both contests, as she held the Bulldogs to just one unearned run on four hits in a complete game effort, striking out four and walking two. In the second game she entered with one out in the second inning and held Barton to a pair of runs on eight hits in five and two-thirds innings of work. He fanned three and did not issue a walk in either game.

In the opener, all three runs were scored in the first inning, as Barton jumped ahead 1-0 as it took advantage of a Crusader error. The lead was short lived, as the Abbey scored two in its half of the first. Jessica Inman led off with a single to right center, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Abby Threatt, and over to third on a Barton error off the bat of Katie Hobbs. After Hobbs stole second, designated player Rachel Parker plated both with a towering double off the wall in center to give the Abbey a 2-1 lead.

Markham made the lead stand up, as she held Barton to just four hits as no Bulldog got past second base after the fourth inning.

In game two, the Abbey grabbed a lead it would never lose in the first, scoring three runs on four hits. Inman and Threatt led off with bunt singles, moved up one base on a double steal, and scored on a double to left by Hobbs for a 2-0 Crusader lead.

After the next batter was retired, Parker grounded to shortstop. Hobbs moved to third on the play, and the throw to third sailed into the outfield, allowing Hobbs to score to widen the lead to 3-0.

The Bulldogs trimmed the lead to one after it scored twice in the third, but the Crusaders answered that with two, two out runs in the fourth as they stretched the lead to 5-2. After the first two batters were retired, shortstop Candace Cady reached on an infield single and scored on Inman’s triple to the gap in right center. She scored on the next pitch when Threatt laced a single to left to end the scoring.

Markham improved her record to 7-16 with the two wins. Barton starter Claire Severt was the loser in game one, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits in six innings of work. Kim Page took the loss in game two as she surrendered five runs, four earned, on 10 hits in four innings of work.